After a rather successful (and extremely time consuming) article on the lores available to the Druchii (you can read it ]here) I've been asked by a couple people if I could do a similar thing for the lores that we don't have access to. Well, I can and I will, but it will take a little bit longer as my time is limited due to school. Still worry not. I will do my best to have these updates regularly. I believe starting with Lore of Slaanesh will be most fitting seeing as he/she has it out for us (that, and I don't have the wording for Lizardmen High Magic attribute )

Lore of Slaanesh

Lore Attribute: Bliss in Torment (Warriors of Chaos)Nothing to write home about. For every wound caused by the Slaanesh magic, roll a d6 and on a 6 you get +1WS, I and A. So on average you need to cause 6 wounds with Slaanesh magic (which isn't known for mass damage) to get +1 to these stats. It can come in handy now and then and can certainly swing combat, but its lack of reliability is something you shouldn't worry yourself with. Important: Any damage caused by any spell in this lore negates the Ward save of our Warlocks!

Lore Attribute: Born of Damnation (Demons of Chaos)This Attribute is in my opinion considerably better than its Warriors counterpart. You pick either a unit of Demonettes or Fiends of Slaanesh within 12" and for each wound caused by slaanesh spell roll a d6, on a 5+ a demonette is added to the unit of demonettes, on a 6 a fiend is added to a unit of fiends. What makes it considerably better is that you get to choose which unit you want to try to add models to after casting the spell so it's tricky to know if you want to stop the spell just to stop the attribute. Unless there's only one target, you simply won't know. Why is it considerably better? Because you can pick the target based on the number of wounds caused. With low number of wounds, it's more beneficial to try for some demonettes, but if you cause a lot of wounds (like with a successful area Choir), you can attempt to bring multiple additional Fiends to a nearby unit. Be wary of this attribute, while demonettes die fast, extra fiends can cause a lot of trouble.

S: Lash of SlaaneshIt has a nice range at 24" but the fact that it only hits as many models as a straight line goes over severely limits the spell's usage. If it's cast from the front of the unit, I wouldn't bother dispelling it. Taking a couple S3 hits with AP is something even we can survive. It becomes more problematic if the sorcerer is mounted or flying allowing him to line up a sideways spell, potentially hitting multiple units and even going across a unit of warlocks which can cause some hurt. Pay attention where the sorcerer is going and dispel accordingly. Like with any spell, the caster has to determine where he's going to cast it before rolling dice so you will know if you should bother dispelling it.

1: AcquiescenceThis spell does no damage, instead it does what Slaanesh magic is notoriously known for. It controls the movement of their enemies. Considering how important movement is for us it's one of the priority spells to dispel. Adding ASL on top of the random movement is just rubbing salt onto the wound. There is a but though since the spell does no damage. Having your unit random movement (even d6") means you can suddenly make really short charges in any direction as per random movement rules. If your opponent is not careful he might cause himself more harm than good if it happens to enable your units to charge at an odd angle thanks to the Random Move. In those situations (few and far between) it can be worth it to suffer ASL for a turn (or even better if it's cast on Execs who already have ASL) to turn the spell into your advantage.

2: Pavane of SlaaneshCharacter sniper unlike the other ones available to other armies, this one forces a Ld test on 3d6 and the character takes a wound with no armor saves. Here's the downside of the spell - it only causes a single wound so you will know fully well when your character is at risk of dying from it. Remember it's a Leadership test so you do benefit from BSB re-roll as well making the spell rather underwhelming. I wouldn't worry about it too much unless it's being cast on one of our monsters outside of General's range as they have crap for leadership. It also automatically wounds the Cauldron (as it has Ld-) but will have to go through the 3++ that the Cauldron has against spells so again, nothing to worry about too much. I can see this spell being used to ping off the last wound more often than not.

3: Hysterical FrenzyThis one can be cast either on friendly or enemy units, giving them the Frenzy special rule. Usually, it will be cast on a unit that is already in combat to boost their performance, in which case you know you want to dispel it. Chaos Warriors are deadly enough without having extra attacks. If cast on one of our units, it also makes them frenzied (with the added benefit of giving +2A if the unit is already frenzied by itself). As an additional effect, the unit this spell's been cast on takes d6 S3 hits at the end of magic phase (so it will always take at least that d6 hits). It does allow for armor saves so most chaos units will be largely immune to the damage, especially knights, while it's unlikely that it will be cast on our knights. Even so, with a large enough infantry unit you can take a few hits from it. The problem shows up when our unit with this spell on reaches combat. Since it's remains in play, it can be dispelled by the caster at any point so don't expect to benefit from the extra attack except against forgetful opponents. I wouldn't worry too much about the damage unless it's cast on a small unit since the spell is RiP and not very hard to dispel in your following magic phase. Worry about it if its being cast on warriors already in combat, and don't let it be cast on warlocks!

4: Slicing ShardsA very random spell that can be extremely powerful... or a dud. D6 S4 hits doesn't sound like much (even though S4 hurts us elves pretty badly), but it then forces you to take a Ld test and if you fail you take another D6 hits and another test. It continues until you either pass the Ld test, or the target is all gone. It can be pretty deadly if cast on a stranded monster, it may be S4 but with their low Ld they are bound to take plenty of hits. If you feel you can take the damage from one d6, have your general and BSB nearby then don't worry about dispelling it. There are worse spells in the lore and we have universally high Ld (unless it's cast on a lone Cauldron... then it will always destroy it as it's impossible for the cauldron to pass an Ld test. A rare situation but it could happen).

5: PhantasmagoriaThe spell adds an extra d6 to all Ld tests done by the target (or all units within 24" of the caster if boosted) and discard the lowest die. A reverse of Cold Blooded of sorts. By itself not too terrible as Chaos doesn't have too many means of causing Panic (beware if there's a Hellcannon on the field) but it can be combined to some nasty effects extra D6 for Pavane of Slaanesh or Slicing Shards will greatly increase their success rate so try not to let both of the spells through. You also don't want to see it cast on your units in combat as fighting Chaos in melee is difficult already without them having magical help. Watch the battlefield and decide if it can have a big impact before committing your dice.

6: Cacophonic ChoirThis is the spell that makes Lore of Slaanesh. Thankfully Chaos has no means of picking spells so there's a chance that the Slaanesh wizard won't get this spell. If they don't, sigh with relief and know your magical dominance is half done already. If they do... well, do your best not to let them cast it. Because it's a hex, it can affect units in combat (and it's a common tactic it seems for the Demon Prince to engage in combat somewhere with plenty of targets around and cast it). Each affected unit (12" bubble around caster when boosted) takes 2d6 hits that wound on 4+ regardless of Toughness and don't allow for armor saves. This spell literally destroys armies if cast at the right moment. Sure the boosted version is pretty hard to cast, but often a single high value target is enough to make the spell worthwhile. If that wasn't enough, if the target takes any wounds, they are affected by ASL and Random Move d6 like from Acquiescence. Beware of this spell, don't let it be cast.

Lore of Tzeentch

Lore Attribute: Boon of Magic (Warriors of Chaos)This attribute is nothing to plan for, when any spell is cast, every die that turned up 6 is put back in the casting pool but only the caster can use it. Ok, sounds great on paper, until you realize that two 6s is a miscast and multiple miscasts take away d6 power dice from the pool. This attribute will add an extra die from time to time but it's nothing compared to Death Magic attribute.

Lore Attribute: Fires of Change (Demons of Chaos)This is pretty much a carbon copy of the Slaanesh demons attribute (and as a shocker, the Nurgle one does the same thing), except instead of Demonettes we have horrors and instead of fiends we have Screamers. There is a notable difference though, Units of horrors get better the bigger they are, and with their ability to cast tzeentch magic, it means they can self regenerate for every spell they cast. Pretty nifty.

Signature: Blue Fire of TzeentchEasy to cast, simple magic missile of a pretty standard range. The randomness of its strength can be worrying but it's as likely to be S6 as it is to be S1. The fact that it only causes d6 wounds makes it only a threat, and an unreliable one at that, to small units of dark riders or shades. If the targeted unit is important, go ahead and dispel it. Otherwise there are far more dangerous spells in Tzeentch's repertoire to be worried about.

1: Treason of TzeentchThe spells is relatively easy to cast and can be devastating depending on target. The target of the spell has to use the lowest Ld value instead of the highest. Now there's some debate here on whether if makes you use Mount's Ld (BRB states Mounts' Ld is never used, but the AB states use lowest. AB vs. BRB contradiction? That is my theory and that's how I treat the spell). Assuming it forces the unit to use its real lowest Ld: Cold One Knights will be stupid all the time, Witch Elves with Cauldron will never pass frenzy check (remember Cauldron's crew is Ld-) etc. This also affects combat so if your knights or cauldron were to lose combat, it's bye bye time. If your local area rules that mounts are excluded from "lowest Ld" then don't worry about this spell. We have at least Ld8 which is solid enough to let your opponent waste some power dice. Just like Shroud of Despair the spell prevents the use of Inspiring Presence and Hold your Ground! rules so even if you won't be using Ld of the mounts, try not to let it be cast into combats you might end up losing as that BSB re-roll is often crucial.

2: Pink Fire of TzeentchFlame template spell with an effective range of 8-18" (artillery die plus flame template length). This makes it pretty unpredictable as it doesn't hit everything in the path like a vortex spell but only models under the template at the end of its travel. This may result in not getting enough range, landing too far and only hitting the target with the end of the template etc. On top of this, its strength is only d6 so even if you get a complete perfect hit... Murphy's Law says it will be S1. Cheap spell to cast but not one to worry about too much (unless it's aimed into the side of your horde of execs... then it's likely to hurt.

3: Bolt of ChangeTzeentch version of a bolt thrower. Easy to cast with a moderate range but again, really really random. The strength of the bolt is d6+4 so at the very least it's respectable. Doing d3 wounds it can cause some worry to our monsters and single characters (though a pegmaster with cloak should be able to take it). If shot at a unit I wouldn't worry about it unless it's a unit of knights as the Bolt ignores armor regardless of it's Strength, and even at S5 it will hurt our squishy T3 elves.

4: Glean MagicOk, if you have wizards, throw everything to dispel this spell. The risk of losing a spell and a level is not worth it. The spells is a wizard duel where both caster and target roll a d6 and add their level. If the caster wins, the target loses a random spell and a wizard level and the caster gains that spell! (Recently I saw a Tzeentch Wizard flying around with Soul Quench from High Magic) They will not gain the original attribute of the lore, retaining their Tzeentch attribute, but just the knowledge that your Word of Pain is now in hands of the enemy... No, nothing is worth that risk. Thankfully the spell is easy to cast so the Tzeentch wizard might use few dice and keep the rest for the big spell. If they do, dispel dispel dispel. Even if you win the caster duel and don't lose a spell, the wizard still takes an S3 hit.

5: Tzeentch's FirestormA scattering template of a D6S hits, it can be made into a bigger template and scatter 2d6" instead of d6" but still D6S. If your opponent has access to the infernal gateway this spell is likely never to be even attempted. But, if it is, just weigh your options. Glean Magic is more dangerous than this, Bolt of Change is more dangerous if you have targets for it, Infernal Gateway is more dangerous... This one is kind of hard to cast for its effect too. Definitely not a priority.

6: Infernal GatewayThe Infernal Gateway got toned down a LOT. It's still a dangerous spell but it will no longer remove entire units every 12 casts. It's relatively hard to cast for a 2d6 hits spell so it's unlikely to be cast on a large unit. Where its strength lies is the 2d6 S, which on average will yield S7 hits. Pretty powerful to reliably take down smaller units and expensive monsters. In case of 11 or 12 being rolled for S, it gets capped at 10, but additional d6 hits are inflicted. It can be pretty brutal... or it can cause 2 S2 hits... Tzeentch is fickle like that.

WarpflameThis is a special rule added to every tzeentch spell that causes damage (which potentially is all of them). When a model (or unit) takes an unsaved wound from a tzeentch spell, it has to take a S test at the end of magic phase. If failed the unit (or model) takes additional d3 wounds with no armor saves, but if passed the unit's regeneration goes up by 1 or if there was no regeneration in the first place, they get regeneration (6+) rule. While the regeneration will have little effect (it does last for the rest of the game and keeps stacking though so do keep track of it!) the extra d3 wounds can cause some havoc which makes judging the damage that Tzeentch spells can cause rather tricky. Since it's hard to predict these extra effects, focus on countering what's important and you'll be fine. Keep in mind - Tzeentch might have a lot of fire in the spells' names... but none of them are Flaming Attacks!

A couple of other things worth noting about Tzeentch magic from a Daemons army:

1. Their Heralds can take an upgrade that increases the Strength of the hits from their spells, and the unit they are with, by +1. This makes their offensive spells much more threatening, as even the basic spell can now hit at S7.

2. Warpflame triggers at the end of each phase of a turn for each unit taking wounds from a Warpflame attack, not for each such attack. As such, you can expect cautious opponents to focus fire and reduce the risk of giving you Regeneration, while others will want to spread their shots to maximize the chance of inflicting an extra d3 wounds, particularly against wizards by using Glean Magic.

3. The lore attribute spawns new Pink Horrors on 4+ per wound caused, meaning that a unit of Horrors with a Herald can keep their numbers up reasonably effectively as long as they don't get wiped out. Thankfully, they are quite vulnerable in close combat. However, the Blue Horrors rule can be very annoying for lightly-armoured Elves, even if we put a beating on them in a fight.

_________________"The wrath of a good man is not to be feared. They have too many rules."

"Good men don't need rules. Today is not a good time to find out why I have so many."

Savvy chaos players will use Hysterical frenzy to control the movement phase, in a way that initially seems innocent. The thing to remember is Frenzied units cannot declare a flee reaction, must over-run and must pursue. This makes it an excellent spell for dealing with fast cav - does damage, but stops you from double fleeing etc... But its also very dangerous when its cast on your unit and then the chaos player put chaff in front of it. That Exce horde that was going to charge the hounds and reform, must now overrun - which can be used to devastating effect to set up flank charges. In certain situations Hysterical Frenzy can win you games, and all the time the other player is holding dice to stop choir and acquiescence.

Its also worth noting that one of the strengths of slaanesh lore is you can usually cast all 4-5 spells your LVL 4 has each turn, making for some very tricky decisions about what to dispel.

Thread Necromancy in the spirit of the lore of undeath. -- if you please.

Looking back on Dalamar's extensive body of work on this thread and the more comprehensive prequel, I must say that I am indebted to him for his time spent doing this. Even with the evolving Meta, this work still stands quite valid.

I know that this lore is still unfinished, but was wondering if people had thoughts about the lore of undeath and if Big D. has anything else he would like to contribute. I just re-read his work and was inspired to make a few changes to my current list style -- Especially under the auspices of ET:K.

I wouldnk't say that your work is invalid. Many people aren't doing the end times and even so, much of your observations about what spells can do inside the game mechanics are sound. You point out subtle details lost on many of us "hobbyists" that aren't as close to the game as a few of the more respected names here on druchii.net. Hardly invalid.

I remember reading this work when it came out and found it great and eagerly waited for the installments. Would still love to see high magic and nurgle broken down from your perspective.

Easy to see far when standing on the shoulders of giants. ... And all that.

For the sake of our own new lists, and for assisting our corsair fleets against our traitorous kin in Ulthuan and Athel Loren (not to mention the froggies in Lustria), here's a quick run-down on High Magic.

High Magic

Lore AttributeAll High Elf Wizards, Wood Elf Spellweavers and Slann have access to a set of identical spells. However, the lore attributes differ between each race.

High Elves - Shield of Saphery: Every successful cast gives the caster and their unit +1 to their ward save (or a 6+ ward save if they don't have one) until the caster's next magic phase begins, up to a maximum 3+ ward save. Suffice it to say that this attribute will get a serious work-out if you're using the End Times: Khaine magic rules. This lore attribute just screams "bunker mage". If you're facing High Elves using these spells, expect a lot of tactics around baiting out your dispel dice on killer spells such as Fiery Convocation and Arcane Unforging so that they can push through multiple low-cost spells which can be cast semi-reliably on one die by a level 4 mage (such as Drain Magic, Soul Quench, Apotheosis and Hand of Glory).

Wood Elves - Ancients' Protection: Every successful cast puts a protection counter next to the caster's unit, which are sacrificed to nullify wounds as they are suffered by the caster or a model in their unit. This is a nice perk, but mainly against enemies who are less able to deal damage at range. Because there is no option to hold back a counter and allow a wound to be applied, it is relatively easy (in theory) for an opponent with a few shooting options to strip off the counters before throwing a template or a "big hitter" unit/spell at the caster's unit. Still, it's nice to have, and there will never be a time where this is not useful.

Lizardmen - Contemplation: I don't have this book, but I understand that this lore attribute allows the caster to "forget" a spell they have just cast from the Lore of High Magic and randomly generate a replacement spell from a Battle Magic lore of their choice. Useful, and allows you to tailor your spells mid-game, but not sure how much of a big deal this is in practice (except to allow you to get rid of useless spells, but there are not many sub-par options in this lore). Also, be aware that Slann can take a Discipline which gives them Loremaster (High Magic) - they will have 8 spells under the normal magic rules and will re-roll their casting dice under End Times: Khaine rules, which makes them far more reliable casters.

Now, on to the actual spells themselves...

Signature #1 - Drain MagicA hex if it's cast on an opponent's unit, or an augment on your own. It's easy to cast (the boosted version hits every unit within 18" and is moderately hard to cast). All Remains In Play spells on the target unit(s) are dispelled and the effects of all other spells on the target(s) come to an end. Tactically, this spell is very useful - it's the only way to remove augments or hexes that are not Remains In Play spells after they have been successfully cast. It forces your opponent to prioritise a low-end spell for dispelling if they want to keep the advantages they gained in their last magic phase. This gives you an opening to push through other spells on your turn. Furthermore, it's a signature spell, so every caster can take it. You can target units even if there are no spells affecting them, so as to get more use out of your Lore Attribute. One last point to remember is that, while this spell cannot dispel End Times spells which remain in play, it can remove the effects of End Times spells which are hexes or augments (as it does not dispel the spell, it only causes its effects to come to an end).

Signature #2 - Soul QuenchDoombolt's cheaper and less powerful sibling, Soul Quench is a magic missile which casts easily for lots of S4 hits. A great chaff-clearer, and very cheap. It won't take out big targets, but it's an excellent and efficient option against skirmishers, scouts, fast cavalry, Sabretusks, Eagles and other annoying units. The tactical value of the spell is substantial, since it's another cheap spell that can threaten an opponent's battlefield control/positioning. Lizardmen can get extra mileage from this spell, as it can be cast through a Skink Priest using the Arcane Vassal special rule.

#1 - ApotheosisAn augment which restores a wound to a target model (or d3 wounds if boosted) and makes the target cause Fear. I'm not sold on this one under normal rules. If you want to restore wounds with spells, you might as well take the Lore of Life and get the spell effect as well as the wound restoration. I suppose it's useful for abusing Lore Attributes, and Lizardmen with lots of big gribblies might get more use out of it. However, under End Times magic rules, this spell is much better. It becomes reliably spammable for a High Elf Archmage using the Book of Hoeth, and a great way of putting wounds back onto some of the nastier special characters. Tyrion, Avatar of Khaine backed up by a High Elf mage using this spell is a truly frightening proposition.

#2 - Hand of GloryThis spell is the opposite of the Lore of Shadows signature spell, and has a lot of flexibility as a result. A large unit of archers can be made to hit very reliably despite cover, range and other modifiers. ASF re-rolls can be obtained more easily (or your opponent's can be thwarted). A unit of Saurus Cold One Cavalry can be buffed to M8-10, possibly with WS and I buffs as well. This spell won't change a game by itself, but it's another very cheap spell with a lot of applications, and which can present another "do I let it go or not?" dilemma for an opponent. In Elven Host armies, this spell goes brilliantly with Darkshards or Glade Guard using Swiftshiver Shards - who needs Trueflight Spam when you have BS 7+? Under End Times magic rules, this spell can be spammed to greater effect, and casts reliably even on one die for an Archmage with the Book of Hoeth.

#3 - Walk Between WorldsAn augment which allows the target to move 10" as though it were Ethereal and moving during the Remaining Moves phase, or a 20" move if the boosted spell is used. Initially, I thought this spell was utterly brutal. On further consideration, I think its nastiness depends on whether you can change the unit's facing at the end of the move - I am inclined to think that the answer is no. However, you can still wheel the unit (remembering that single-model units can change facing without sacrificing movement), and there appears to be no restriction on moving sideways or backwards. The target can also move straight through terrain during this move, although it cannot linger inside the terrain (for what should be obvious reasons).

This is a great spell for pushing a unit to the position you want it to occupy, or to stick a chaff unit in the path of an enemy, or to save a unit from the consequences of a failed charge. It's not as vicious as it might first appear, but it can set up flank charges, disrupt lines of battle, position a chariot or monster to charge next turn (or just keep up with the rest of a fast army), or leave your opponent's unit without a charge target. A Flamespyre Phoenix targeted by this spell can "double up" on its Wake of Fire special rule, if the Hexwraiths ruling is any indication. All of these uses make this a very flexible spell, although I imagine it will need a fairly thorough FAQ at some point. Under End Times magic rules, this spell can be cast repeatedly to potentially manoeuvre an entire army and generally make life hell for an opponent, particularly since it is very cheap to cast.

#4 - TempestA direct damage spell that uses the large template, scatters it 1d6 inches, and does one S3 hit to everything under it, or S4 if the model can Fly. A unit taking one or more wounds from this spell gets -1 to hit with ranged and close combat attacks, and models with shooting attacks that do not roll to hit must roll 4+ to shoot. This is probably the weakest spell in the lore. It's not a bad way of hitting a large unit of weaker models at very long range, but Fiery Convocation is much better against those targets. I's not cheap to cast, and it can't do damage to war machines with sufficient reliability to make the "4+ to shoot" rule worthwhile. Not likely to be too much of a problem unless you've got large blocks of Darkshards, or unless your opponent is playing very defensively.

#5 - Arcane UnforgingA direct damage spell targeting a single enemy model (even a character in a unit). The target takes a wound on a roll equal to its unmodified armour save, with no armour save allowed. Then, regardless of whether a wound is caused, one random magic item on that model is destroyed on 2+ (mounts, expended "one use only" items and bound spell items which have crumbled due to a miscast are not valid as targets). This is a situational spell, but it is potentially the most dangerous one in the entire lore. When you consider how carefully most magic item load-outs are put together, the loss of even one item can cripple a character's effectiveness. A wizard with a talisman and who has used their dispel scroll already is looking at becoming defenceless. A Cloak of Twilight-wearing Pegasus rider is suddenly very vulnerable to shooting and loses their Killing Blow and Multiple Wounds rules in the first round of combat. That unit carrying the Banner of the World Dragon is suddenly fair game for magical attacks.

Depending on the targets available, this spell can range from minimally threatening to potentially game-changing. Assess risks and dispel as appropriate.

#6 - Fiery ConvocationA Remains In Play direct damage spell which hits every model in the unit with a S4 Flaming attack and repeats this at the end of each subsequent magic phase. This spell is absolutely devastating against large units of infantry, and if it gets through, it becomes a must-dispel option in the opponent's next turn. This will drain an opponent's power dice (unless they have access to Drain Magic, Enkhil's Kanopi or the Master Rune of Valaya), likely giving the caster an advantage in terms of dispel dice as a result. This spell is particularly vicious against Elves, and should be stopped accordingly. It is less effective against MSU builds, for obvious reasons. Lizardmen players probably won't swap it out with Contemplation, and High Elf players will cheerfully remind you that their ward saves just got better as you watch a large chunk of one of your units melt and burn.

_________________"The wrath of a good man is not to be feared. They have too many rules."

"Good men don't need rules. Today is not a good time to find out why I have so many."

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